Scott McLeod is by no means the first to ask this question, nor will he be the last, I’m sure.
In an era in which the possibilities for ongoing professional learning are numerous and significant, I wonder how long will it take us for us to start expecting educators to use these social media tools. It’s been 30 years since the advent of the personal computer and we’re still struggling to get teachers and administrators to integrate digital technologies into their daily work in ways that are substantive and meaningful. Meanwhile, we now have a bevy of powerful learning tools available to us that can advance our own professional learning (and, of course, make our technology integration and implementation efforts more efficient and effective).
I am still constantly amazed at the number of educators who I speak to at conferences and pd days that have not made technology a part of their learning culture. Last week, in a room of 100 people, 3 brought laptops. When I asked how many owned laptops but didn’t bring them, almost every hand went up. When I asked them why they didn’t bring them, the quick response was “I didn’t know we could.” Didn’t know we could? Really?
Here is the deal…technology is no longer a choice. Some of us may not feel comfortable with it; time to get over it. Tens of thousands of educators are already in the water, and the temperature is fine. Stop waiting for permission and jump in.
And just for the record, my patience tank is running on empty.